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2018-05-19 He who has the NERVE
Peter stretches as he steps out of the landlord's office, looking at the two packages sent to this address. He occasionally sends stuff here, primarily from Amazon, but also stuff for college. As well as a few other things. He is limping just a little. That last shot from Shocker was still paining him, but he figured he would shed the limp in a couple of hours. Sabrielle is on her way in, manuevering the little stroller like she's done it more than like.. twice. Red hair is back in a ponytail, sunglasses are oversized, and there's no real jewelry on display. The short-sleeved sundress is purple with tiny white polka dots. She's trying to blend in, really! Gregory is tucked away, sleeping in the stroller with the hood thing pulled up. There's groceries from the nearby bodega tucked in the undercarriage, explaining why she's been out and about, other than it being a semi-nice day. "Peter?" Peter looked up. For a moment, he didn't recognize her. She looked like a movie star trying to stay incognito. But the voice is familiar... Then the baby gurgles in his sleep, a soft, satisfied sound, and it clicks, "Ohmigosh..." he says in a quiet whisper, keeping himself from blurting it out and waking...Gregory. His name is Gregory. And her name is..."Miss Sabrielle?" There's a laugh, glasses pushed up atop her head. "I think you can just call me Sabrielle, don't you?" She gets in and out of the way of the door to the outside, glancing towards the elevator. "I didn't expect to see you here." She'll look at the packages in his arms. "Mail call?" Peter is flustered. She used to be Mrs. Stark, after all. "Uhm...uhm, yeah, some new imaging software for my 3-D printer and a couple of books on theta-wave transference through an EEG matrix for the use of retraining a vibranium matrix and why am I trying to explain it to you in the lobby...?" He sighs, looking down. For a smart guy, you can be an idiot. Used to be. She's not, anymore. It's the way of the world, even if she doesn't understand it. Brows lift curiously as he explains things. "Well, the imaging software is easy enough to understand. I understand a little bit about theta-waves, which may surprise you, as well as EEGs. Thought how you would use those brain waves to retrain a vibranium matrix,..that's where you lose me." She beams at him. "Because you're not trying to make me feel like I'm not smart enough to understand?" Peter sighs. "Some days all I do is change feet." He looks down at Gregory, then half-smiles. "How's the little darling of the news media? I think I got your good sides." Sabrielle blushes, a look down at her son. "You made me look like a human being. That was good work. He looks like an angel from every angle, in my biased opinion." There's a sweet smile. "How was the rest of your week?" He looks thoughtful. "Let's see...I visited a good friend...celebrated my 20th birthday..." Got intimidated by a world-class telepath who made you wet your pants. "...so, it's been a full week." "Oh, happy birthday! I should have known. Gotten you a cake or something. Visiting friends is a good thing. " She nods. " How was the Expo? I do remember you being there last year. You took a picture for us." Peter smiled wanly. "Yeah, well...Stark and Jones dominated, as usual. They did get some blowback about their orbital defense system, though. Still think they should have gone with my stealth array, but I don't have the ambition of those two. If I did, maybe I wouldn't be a junior researcher and I'd have my own company." "Well, of course they did. Two biggest names and egos in the game, sugar." Her head tips. "Did you push your idea to him? And not having that level of ambition isn't the worst thing in the world. Have a life, Peter, not just ambition or a career. Don't make Kara pull you out of a lab, just to make sure you're okay and spend some time with you." Sabrielle says softly, her voice level. "You've got time to plot your course in the world." "I did...right before the Sinestro Corps paid Central Park a visit." Peter sighed. "Got backburnered, I guess. It's okay, really. I'm working on a new project, anyway..." He smiles wryly. "Something in the realm of mental protection. The initial tests are very encouraging." Sabrielle gives a sharper blue look. "Protection both ways, or only one?" She sounds rather interested. Peter smiles. "Theoretically, both ways. Theta-wave energy is the power source of mental abilities. Something that can absorb theta-wave energy can prevent two-way communication." "I just.. it interests me. Sometimes, since I got pregnant, control is not the easiest thing to come by. I have some things to help with that, but a lot of things right now conjure up more emotional wreckage which makes it even worse." Sabrielle confesses softly with a smile. Peter looks thoughtful. "I...have a working prototype, if you'd like to try it. You might need to tell me what you can do and what you're concerned with..." "If I'd like to try it, and give you some feedback, some first data?" Sabrielle responds, expression amused. "Be a bit of a first case study?" She smiles, easy and open. "I've been around science geniuses before, after all. But if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to see if it could help. We could discuss what I do upstairs, if you like. I made cookies last night." Peter looks thoughtful. "What...KIND of cookies?" He then looks to Gregory. "I'm...just upstairs, if you don't mind following me. I'm pretty sure it's safe for Greg, though." He looks to the elevators, then back to Sabrielle. "It's a bit cluttered, though." "Peter. I live upstairs. That's where the cookies are. There are snickerdoodles and chocolate chip." Sabrielle smiles. "I assure you my place is probably less cluttered, and definitely safe for Gregory." Peter nods. "Yeah, but the rig is still wired to some heavy equipment. You'd have to come to my room to test it." He presses the UP button. Sabrielle nods. "Well, do you want to talk about my abilities first, and grab the cookies while I put away groceries? Then at least you know what you're testing. " Harley Quinn has connected. Peter nods. "Sure. But upstairs." The elevator doors open. "We can talk at your place." She will push the door open after undoing the locks, the stroller pulled behind rather than push. "I appreciate the stop, at least. I have some stuff I should get in the fridge." The small redhead will look over her shoulder at him. "I'll get you the cookies." Peter waits until the door is closed before saying, "This is nicer than my apartment. But then again, Kara offers to clean it often." He looks around, but hangs onto the two small boxes from the mail. "So...what *can* you do, Sabrielle?" She will push the stroller in front of the television, moving to pull her groceries out from the bottom of the stroller. "Well, Gregory isn't much for conversation yet. Plenty of time to keep things tidy." She heads into the kitchen, unpacking and putting things in their place. "First and foremost, I'm an empath. It wasn't just your smile that told me you felt ill at ease telling me about the expo. Emotions, both receiving and projecting, is the strongest of my powers. I am also telepathic, but it's not as far reaching as my empathy. If there are other powers that tuck in somewhere, I am not consciously aware of them." Peter's eyebrows rise. "OHHH. Okay. We can easily verify a few things there. You're not claustrophobic, I hope, it's in a hard helmet. What do other minds feel like around you?" There's a chuckle, as she tucks away the grocery bags. She will get a tupperware box full of cookies, and set them on the coffee table. "Don't worry. I don't pry." There's a quick, mischievious smile with that. "I wore a suit he made for me. I hope I'm not claustrophobic." She pauses, a hand up over her hair. "I don't think about it like that, often. People have a feel, you know? Like if I was blindfolded and behind a wall, I could tell the difference between you and pretty much the rest of the world. Once I get familiar with a mind, it's like anything else you sense. Face, scent, sound.." She shrugs. "Emotions.. they're almost like water colors. It's not actual colors, but the shifts in emotions are like when colors shift." Peter nodded. "All right. The helmet has a heads-up display, so you won't be in the dark. It's the helmet for the Iron Spider armored suit...with a few upgrades." He smiles wryly. "So it might feel familiar." "Dark or not doesn't bother me." Sabrielle smiles. "It will likely be at least a little familiar. Which isn't all bad." Peter picks up the Tupperware container, then looks to Gregory. "Okay...ready to go? I promise not to take up too much of your time." "Let me get him in the sling, I can leave the stroller." She will head into the baby's room, coming back out while pulling the hair out from under the sling. "Take up less room in your apartment, too." A quick flash of a smile, before she's transferring the baby from stroller to sling, with some soft shushing and murmuring. Peter nods and opens the door for Sabrielle. "I'll try not to take too much of your time." He looks down the hall, feeling suddenly nervous all of a sudden. "I hope this doesn't...hurt you in any way..." "I don't really have much to do, Peter. I don't watch much television, I'm ashamed to admit I have avoided the news this week." There's a glance up from under lashes. "I was afraid to." That's a whispered confession, her hand curling around Gregory's back as she moves to lock the door and head for the elevator. "If it hurts, I'll say so. I'll give you as much in the way of details as I can to help you figure out why." Peter nods. Two minutes later, the door to his apartment opens and he leads the mother and son into his apartment. It is clean, but cluttered. One long table along the wall is dominated by the helmet from the suit, three cables running to a large, rather ugly chunk of computer currently running some kind of diagnostic. Sabrielle will slip in and close the door. Brows lift. "You really need to talk to him about getting you some R & D space. Or would that make anything you did his? I'm not up on lab space rules." There's a quick, uneven smile. Peter looks sheepish. "I can take work home with me, and I wanted to verify this concept before using company resources. I stretched the rules enough just to buy the materials I needed...with Kara's help, of course." He walks over to the helmet, lifting it. "Okay...have a seat in this chair. I'd prefer you sitting down for this test as opposed to standing.:" Sabrielle smiles, moving to sit in the chair. "It's probably a good idea." She will tug her ponytail free, so it won't be in the way of the helmet. "So, what are we monitoring?" Peter places the helmet gently on Sabrielle's head. "Okay." He reaches over to turn on a microrecorder. "Test 32, Empath, Wearer, Basic camouflage test. The wearer says she can see other minds in discernible colors. We will run a 30-second test." He moves to the computer, then picks up a remote. "Okay. I want you to look at me, then at your son. Tell me how you see them." "I said it's not actual colors, just the same sort of perception." Sabrielle says softly. Her head turns towards Peter, a faint smile. "You're Peter. There's this glow around your mind, it's bright. You're young, still optomistic..for the most part. It's this.. soft, silky sort of blue." She looks down at the baby she's holding, and there's a smile. "He's not so bright yet, especially sleepy. There's this super soft, golden glow. He's content." Peter nods slowly. "Okay. You will hear a soft hum. If you feel dizziness, discomfort, ANYTHING, sing out." He takes a deep breath, then says into the remote, "Yautja." And reality changes. With her eyes, she can see no change. Peter is still standing there, crouched forward slightly. Gregory still slumbers in the sling. But to her mind, all the colors are gone. Her son and Peter are blank slates, empty whiteboards. They are paint-by-number people, all outlines and solid white otherwise. The hum is soft, almost imperceptible. There's a hint of a nod. "Okay." There's no dizziness, nothing that makes her feel ill at ease. But then Peter will hear her take in a breath sharply, lips parted. She will take several ragged breaths that way, before she swallows hard. "I can't see it. I mean, I know you're still there, but there's not.. the usual.. I'm so used to it, and even with the necklace, it was never this complete." Peter nods. The white outline leans forward. "Empath reports no external signal coming through. Experiencing no discomfort, but is showing signs of mild emotional stress, most likely due to the temporary loss of sensory input, and...time. Schaefer." At the last word, Peter and Gregory suddenly flood with color, as if a bucket of translucent paint was poured into each of them. "That's nothing for emotional stress." Sabrielle whispers, a shaking smile. Then everything is coming back in a rush, and she'll shake her head just a little bit. "Okay, the transition is a little rough." She makes it a hint of a joke. Peter nods, then reaches to lift the helmet, placing it gently on the work table. "I haven't worked on the transition yet. It's more...affecting for you than for me." He looked at the helmet. "Ten theta-wave-attuned grams of vibranium. Kara got it for me as a birthday present. Completely absorbs all mental traffic. And confirmed internal as well as external." Sabrielle lifts a hand to her temple. "Well no offense, sugar, but unless you're holding out of me, you're not psychic." There's a smile for him, warm and ever so faintly maternal. "Helluva birthday present. Girl must be crazy about you." Peter nods. "She is, Sabrielle. She is...whew. She is head-over-cape in love with me. Which is good, because I love her deeply. She is...unbelievable. The girl could have any guy she wanted, and she went with me. It's a little humbling, truth be told." "She's lucky to have someone as in love with her, as she is with you." Sabrielle says quietly. "She maybe could have any guy she wanted.. she wanted you. She wanted the truly good guy. Just remember that." Peter sighs. "She's unbelievable. I'm serious, I could go on about her all day. I probably shouldn't - like eating a porterhouse steak in front of a new vegan." Sabrielle blinks at him. "You can feel free to gush, Peter. I told you before, knowing there's real love, true love, in the world.. it helps." There's a slightly sad smile. "You don't think because I got dumped harshly by a world class narcissist that I'm going to become a romantic atheist, do you?" Her hand slides up to rest against Gregory again. "Yes, he dumped me at the most devastating of moments. He has not come once to see his son. I still don't hate him. I've been talking to a therapist. Very intense stuff.. because I don't want to have my emotions bottled up and bleeding over to Gregory." Her head tilts. "In fact, that's why I've avoided coverage of the Expo, Peter. Because I'd be willing to lay a bet, that he already has another woman on his arm." She shrugs. "Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, narcissists gotta not be alone." Peter reaches to touch Sabrielle's hand. "I wish I had the words, Miss Sabrielle. Something to say to make it better. But I don't think those words exist." He pauses. "But I can tell you this.Next Christmas, I'd like you to remind me to get you and Greg each a present from Santa Claus." "It's a good thing I didn't wager, hmm? I mean, you're a young college guy, you don't have the scratch. I'm even pretty sure who." Sabrielle's smile is faintly crooked. "You are going to make me feel old, with all the miss stuff. It's just Sabrielle. Your older, empathic neighbor that will probably try to make sure you're eating." There's a chuckle, looking down. "He's the only one who needs it. He's the only thing that's important. Just want him to grow up knowing love and learning to give it." Peter chuckles. "Well, you'll get one anyway. Me and Kara helped him last Christmas, even." He looks to her. "Sorry. I'd like you and Kara to get together again. You need all the support you can get. Hey, maybe you can come visit me in Queens. I know Aunt May would love to meet you. She's a firecracker, and she may spoil Gregory rotten." She pauses, licking her lips. "It's all right. I just didn't know he'd gotten help. Doesn't surprise me, really." There will be an attempt at a laugh. "By Christmas, I will probably only want a night off to myself, to get a whole night's solid sleep, and a girl's night in." She peers at Peter. "Why would your aunt want to meet me? Or is this just you trying to informally sort of adopt me, because you feel bad for me?" Peter snickers. "Am I that transparent? Maybe I just think you need a good friend. Someone who doesn't keep you at arm's length. And maybe you need a slice of Aunt May's lattice apple pie, a warm blanket, and someone willing to watch over Gregory for you." "You're just very... sweet. Most of the friends I had, drifted away. I.. got pretty isolated." Sabrielle shrugs. "I haven't had a homemade apple pie, made by someone not me, in years." She does sound like she's pondering. "I'm more than happy to be friends. I just.. stop feeling bad for me. You keep trying to tiptoe around things that just need to be ..blam! out there." Peter smiles sheepishly. "I'm a flawed human being, Sabrielle. I talk too much, I tell bad jokes, and when I try singing, people ask me if I'm pan-frying a live bobcat. So I have to watch what I say. Especially for people that I created the NERVE system to deal with." "We're all flawed, sweetie." Sabrielle says, looking at him. "I want to take care of everyone, and sometimes forget to take care of me. I love too much, and let myself be blind to things. You don't have to watch what you say, not with me. Because if I really wanted to know, I could. Right? But you keep trying to tiptoe around Stark, and that.. it makes me wonder more what you're /not/ telling me." Peter sighs. "I...it's just, I work for him. I don't want to seem disloyal because of something happening between you and him. But I also want to treat you fairly." "Peter.. you work for him, you can be friends with him. I don't mind that at all. I'm not going to say you can't be, that would be ridiculous. But he's part of your life, and you can't edge around that, just to be careful of me. It's not.. It's not being honest. And you're an honest guy." Sabrielle says. "You can't help or change anything between he and I. But you can stop treating me like I'm going to break when you say his name, or you have to report on him or his new girlfriend in the paper. That's /your/ life, and I want you to live it." There's a faint lift of her chin, a squaring of her jaw. Meet Stubborn Sabrielle. Peter looks down. "I'm sorry, Sabrielle. You're right. I'll try to be more objective. And I won't try to keep anything from you...I swear." "I just want you to be happy. I want to hear all about it. Breakthroughs in the lab, Kara, the paper.. all of it. You can't be honest if you censor yourself. And it dims the happiness, just a little." Sabrielle says more gently. "I like you, kid. You remind me of someone I could have loved, once." Peter blushed slightly. "Yeah...thanks. Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. Always, I'm second-guessing myself, and then Kara smiles at me, that wide, guileless smile she seems to save for me. And I have confidence again."" "That's love." Sabrielle says softly, blue eyes just a little wistful. "Or at least, so I am told." She smiles. "So was there anything else you wanted to try the helmet on?" Peter ohs, then shakes his head. "I just have to do some fine-tuning, then wire it into the rest of the suit again. And then...I called it the NERVE system. NEURAL ELECTRO-REINFORCEMENT VARIABLE EVASION. But really, it's a private joke. As in, the only way I can stop being afraid of a major-league telepath is if I have the NERVE." "Alas, I can not teach you to be unafraid. I am not that big league.." Sabrielle offers him a little grin. "I can bombard you empathically all day long, and there's hope I can.. get better with the telepathy. I have someone encouraging me."